[contessa]

I cannot really call myself a car buff. I'm not very keen on technologies that creates these marvels on roads and do not understand much of it either. But then again, here i am - trying to write a review about a Car!!

First, I would like to thank the members of this forum - for sharing so much information, which had been instrumental in my research on buying a new car - not once but twice.

This review might not be a lot, but i promise it will at least be an honest effort

What I look for in a Car (a very personal requirement)
Travelling is my passion; Car is important because of the independence it offers.

My primary requirement would be comfort offered by a car for long drives. Basically I’m interested in “how fresh I arrive” at the destination and not worried much about – “how fast I arrive”.

Here is what i mean - comfort for drivers

1) Seat comfort that includes the ergonomics of the seat itself, seat & steering adjustments, knee angle and thigh support

2) Straight line & High speed stability – It should require less concentration to keep the car under control at higher speeds. I hate cars that starts to jump around at speeds in excess of 80-100kph

3) The ease and confidence with which you take corners/turns at higher speeds

4) Good ride quality and lack of body-roll

5) Good visibility, Braking and Safety. Our roads have a magical ability to make a human-being & cow appears before you, when you least expect. This fear is a key factor that determines the speed at which i drive on any stretch of road.

6) Refined and Powerful engine (to overtake vehicles originally engineered in the 50’s and strangely - still in production)

7) Good access to cup holders, music-system and other Jing-bangs!!

Why Yeti ? What was I thinking!!
While my current Octavia was not perfect, I felt it was a good compromise. But after three years, my knees really wanted another car.

I generally feel the softer suspension of eastern vehicles have undesirable effects – (1) More vulnerable to body roll, (2) Not as planted as their western counterparts at higher speeds and (3) Corners are fun (but I like a more predictable behaviour). Since I hate creeks and rattle, build quality was also a priority.

So when I wanted to upgrade, I did not bother looking east (hey! everyone is biasedJ). The only options I had within my budget were Laura and Jetta, which offered improved ride, handling & braking. But I also wanted significant upgrade on ergonomics as well.

Yeti became a good option because of the following reasons

1) Yeti filled the gap in ergonomics. Excellent Seats, Space & Driving position.

2) My family liked the styling of the car.

3) Its car like handling & ride quality - combined with SUV features was a killer (Never thought this would be possible in this budget range)

4) 4WD is a boon to handle our roads. Plus I can drive to remote parts of Western Ghats which I avoided so far (due to very bad or non-existent roads).

5) Higher seating position a boon for visibility

6) Got the car at a price which was slightly cheaper than entry level Laura TDI.

Yeti – Initial Ownership Report

It is only 2 months and 4000km and I know it is a bit early.

Seating & Comfort – This is definitely an upgrade over – not just Octavia, but also over Laura. My knee angle is now an “Inverted L” rather than an “Inverted V”. I even get a bit of thigh support on the driver seat. The seats are very comfortable and the family get a lot more space in the rear. The noise levels of the stock Yeti is significantly less than a heavily sound-damped Octavia. While the music system (Swing) is good, the speakers are not that great and I need to upgrade to a better quality and high-sensitivity speakers. Lack of iPod Control & electronic seat adjustments are a big let-down.

Ride Quality – Wow! This is a significant improvement over Octavia which I guess is due to better and more sophisticated suspension arrangement. Even when off-roading, the ride is surprisingly better than what one would expect. I have read a lot about “hard” ride quality, but I never felt that way. When I kept the tyre pressures at 32 (front) and 36 (rear), the ride did feel a bit choppy on average road. But with 32 on all tyres, the ride is very comfortable on all kinds of road. Body Roll is negligible compared to even some popular sedans. You never feel anything about body roll, unless you take a very hard corner.

Handling on highway – Driving the car on the highway is bliss and feels very much like Laura - except when cornering hard. However, the 4WD does have a profound effect on the overall handling abilities to the car. You will feel the difference even when doing something as simple as switching lanes (oh! it’s smooth). Moving at high speeds on highway and overtaking a series of vehicles feels like playing a computer game. Once on a drive from Chennai to BLR, a Merc C-Class overtook me. After couple of KM, the Merc was stuck and struggling to overtake a crowd of slow moving cars. With better visibility, I was able to pull ahead of the Merc in that crowd.

Handling in City - I used to dread driving my Octavia is the city, but the Yeti is significantly easier to drive in crowded blr. The extra visibility comes in very handy as well. However, I’m still struggling to understand how to handle the car (gear & clutch) effectively when moving the car at a snail’s pace in traffic.

Off-Roading – I did try off-roading on two occasions and was very impressed with the “ease” with which I could move car through lot of ditches inside a forest area. You have to drive this car to believe how easy off-roading can be.

Engine Performance: I think the power is adequate to do everything practically possible on our roads. The engine noise however creeps into the cabinet at higher speed, but with music on, it hardly bothers you. I get a mileage of around 18km/ltr on highway. In BLR I get around 12 (driving through thick of CBD traffic)

So far there has been no problem in the car. I’m enjoying every bit of it.

I noticed a noise from the engine’s pressure pump, which is very distinct from the overall engine sound (the noise is heard only from outside). The engineers at the service station showed me one more Yeti, which had the same noise and said the sound can be heard in all Yeti & Laura. Any feedback from technology literate inmates would be appreciated.

[Santoshbhat]

Congratulations on your new Yeti!

The car fulfills your requirements perfectly. The Yeti is a very capable car feels perfect for urbanites who want something higher than a sedan but not something as massive as the regular SUVs. It allows you to enjoy sedan like handling qualities coupled with SUV like ground clearance. Am sure it would have sold in much larger numbers if it was a VW or a Toyota

The Yeti is a class vehicle with high class interiors, a strong engine and a well sorted suspension. The engine is prone to stalling at crawling speeds if your input with the clutch is not perfect. Would love to hear about your experience on the same.

Wish you many miles of safe and enjoyable drives in your Yeti and hope Skoda A.S.S. treats you well.

[vb-saan]

Congratulations Contessa! Great choice indeed!
What variant is this – Ambiente or Elegance? Some more pictures of the interiors will be good. How do you find the backseat – comfortable for 3?

[b_ambat]

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[carfreak]

Congratulations contessa!!the yeti is a great vehicle and one that i personally feel is ideal for India!!

I am eagerly waiting for the new detuned yeti which may be launched some time next year!!

Originally Posted by contessa

I cannot really call myself a car buff. I'm not very keen on technologies that creates these marvels on roads and do not understand much of it either. .

Well from your well composed report i can just say this-your understanding of automobiles is spot on!!nothing less!especially your comparison of eastern and western cars!!

[contessa]

Thanks Santhosh. Yes the interiors are superb. I generally have a problem when i have to brake suddently and lower the speed (which happens a lot inside the city). I think, I just to need practice shifting down the gear a bit more faster - than what i'm used to.

vb-san. This is the Ambient version. The only significant thing for me, between the two version is the various off-road controls provided by Elegance. But i do hope to retrofit those options in this car as well. There is a lot of leg room and the width is similar to most car in this budget - but you sit on a slightly raised seats. Hence you can comfortably sit three average sized people in the rear.

b_ambat, Thanks, the alloys are OEM that came with the car.

car_freak. Thanks. I think it will definetly be worth the wait for Yeti.

[contessa]

I believe the 2x4 version of the Yeti was just announced on TV..

[Guderian]

Hi contessa,
Congratulations! That is a very nice looking Yeti you have there. Silver looks smashing good on the Yeti (too !) and would have been my choice of colour.
Wishing you thousands happy miles in the Yeti.

And now my inevitable question - what have you named it ?!!

[theMAG]

Congrats. This is actually a very capable vehicle. I do hope Skoda's stated ownership experience will not come in the way of you enjoying this car.

[shankar.balan]

lovely review
thanks for helping to clarify my mind
i m also toying with the Yeti as my next buy
will now think more deeply and then commit to purchase

frankly unless something spectacular comes up in the form of either the EcoSport or Duster or Korando, I think the Yeti is just bang on target. especially the Ambiente version preferably in bright silver OR mato brown. perfect!

[dkaile]

Congratulations contessa on a fine acquisition. What colour is it exactly as it looks like a 'bluish' tint of silver in the pictures?

[contessa]

Sorry i forgot to mention. The color is Acqa Mist/Blue. We found it to be a bit more "cheerful" compared to our other choice "Cappuchino beige".

theMAG, I had good support from Skoda for the last 3 years with my Octavia. I never had problems with ownership or getting minor issues attended/fixed. It does makes me nervous when i hear so many people bad mouth Skoda's service. Given the capabilities of this car, I think i'm willing to risk any ownership issues and remain optimistic - atleast - until I myself get into trouble.

Guderian, I think we like 'Yeti'. My kids absolutely love calling it the 'Yeti' and it is going to remain that way

[n.devdath]

Congrats on the car contessa. A few questions from my side: Which car has a bigger rear bench the Yeti or the Laura?
Also, have you tried seating 5 people in it? How did the rear middle passenger feel? Which Skoda dealer did you buy it from and did you get any discounts?

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations on Yeti, few questions.

What other options did you looked at and what was the deal maker for Yeti?
Also how does it compare to Laura in terms of space?

[phenomonstar]

Hey contessa,

Congrats on the YETI.
We 've had an Octavia in the family for 5 years and were extremely satisfied with it.
Barring the unusually upright rear bench, I think the car was superb. The engine was just phenomenal, and gave us incredible average.
I checked out the YETI and liked it a lot.
The driving stance and visibility was excellent. I was driving a Ford Fusion + at the time and the seating position was a lot similar to the Fusion. I was totally sold on the car except for the price tag ; the top of the line version is roughly around 19lac on road in Mumbai.
The price tag did not make the YETI a VFM preposition for me. I do not go offroading at all.
If it was somewhere in the 14-15 lac price bracket for the top end variant, I would have jumped at it.
Good on you for getting it cheaper than entry level Laura.

Happy driving , mate.